Arya slammed the door of her locker and kicked the trash can in her reach.
Her locker was covered in marker writings.
Only her locker was a spectacle to see among the neat rows of the locker which was now dripping ketchup and mustard as she opened it.

She didn't even try to look for her things inside. Her head was on fire.
She came out of the locker room, head clouded in fury.

It was their lunch break and Arya stormed into the cafeteria where most of the trainees were having their meal.

Without any words, Arya went towards a table, pushed a girl aside and climbed on the table, and clapped loudly, "Listen up!"

The whole room was watching her in confusion.

"Everyone here came for a reason, right?" Arya shouted, "I guess nobody scored an F in their courage test."

"What are you trying to say?" Someone from any corner teased, "Or is it another show-off?"

"What I wanted to say is," Arya's voice turned cold as she eyed the whole room, "If you are not coward, come forward who has a grudge against me. Stop being puny and come out."

The room was silent.

"If you still have your balls intact, come forward. Say whatever you want to say in my face, not behind my back like a coward teenager." Arya crossed her hands and kicked one tray down to the floor, "Anyone?"

"Go to hell!" someone shouted from one corner and an apple flew in Arya's direction.

Arya easily avoided it but the next moment a splash of water soaked her from the side.

"Been there." Ary answered wiping her face with her sleeve and shot glares at the crowd, "done that!"

"You should go and die!" Someone shouted again, "At least feel ashamed for what have you done!"

"Don't talk as if you know everything." Arya's voice turned cold, "You were still pissing your bed when that happened."

"You have no right to live and be happy while your mates are dead!" Another voice added, "you have no right!"

"And you have?" Arya sighed as if she gave up, "and happily ever after? Come on!"

"Why have you come here? Piss off!"

"You should feel lucky that I am not being trained with you all." this time Arya smiled, "I'd crash each one of you if I did."

"Bragging mouth." Another apple flew in her direction and Arya lost it.

"Oh yeah?" Arya rolled her eyes, "Why don't you just prove it then?"
Arya clapped, "one on one. Unarmed combat. Let's go. Come as many as you can."

"Don't blame when you'll be in a trauma bed in the infirmary," Someone mocked from one side.

"Don't cry if I book that bed for you." Arya jumped down from the table and in a few seconds, the tables were pushed towards the wall making a round place in the middle.

The crowd was circling the space and Arya paced back and forth teased, "Come on! Don't be scared."

One trainee came forward, not hiding his hatred expression, and spat near Arya's feet, "I feel sick every time I look at you. How do you still sleep at night after what have you done?"

"Gross." Arya looked at the spittle, "watch your manners!"

"Don't act like you are better than me." The man again spat near her feet, "you are just a mass murderer who has no shame or remorse!"

"And your point is?" Arya raised one brow and instantly ducked as the man attacked her.

It took her less than a minute to knock him out.

"Anyone else?" Arya looked around as she rubbed her bruised knuckles.

Another person came forward and again rapid footstep was heard in the circle.

Yoongi was watching the fight as always from beside the railing of the upper floor.
His eyes were showing appreciation as he watched the smooth and rapid movement of Arya on the floor like a calm breeze.

He stopped the person beside him as he was going to move, "Don't go. Watch. Her every movement is elegant."

"Mnn."

"You taught her well, hyung," Yoongi looked at Jin, "She'll just beat everyone there I can tell."

Jin didn't answer.

After the fourth person went down, Arya cracked her knuckles, "Don't back off now. I am just getting warmed up!"

"Show them some mercy, Sunbae." Yoongi's voice was heard, "Or I'll have fewer students in my class the next day!"

The room looked up to see Yoongi standing beside the railing and the room went silent seeing the person next to him.

"Are you pleading for them, Yoongi-sshi?" Arya asked looking above with a pissed expression.

"I don't want them to get into an unfair fight." Yoongi stood straight.

"You think it is unfair?"
One trainee asked from below.

"Yes." Yoongi replied instantly, "You all should at least get into her level to fight her. Useless!"

The room was quiet and Arya groaned, "Now you are being unfair, Yoongi-sshi."

"I won't meddle," Yoongi shrugged, "And if they have a conscience now, they shouldn't anymore too."

It wasn't an order or a threat, but everyone knew what was Yoongi saying.
He wasn't telling anybody to stop bullying Arya or stop getting into her fight.
He was just letting them know what he thinks and to everyone, that was the unspoken law.

Yoongi gets what he wants and when he speaks the only thing others can do is listen and comply.

The crowd slowly dispersed after arranging the tables within minutes.

Arya placed her order and sat down at a table and looked up in the hope to see Jin again but he wasn't there anymore.

"He won't!" someone protested in an almost whispery tone from the table at her side at a comment her friend made.

"Seokjin Sir will never teach fencing. Still, They tried to persuade him yet again this time?"

Arya's ears perked up as soon as she heard Jin's name.

She frowned at the girl group and the group sealed their lips immediately after they noticed Arya's gaze.

"What is it?" Arya asked.

The group looked everywhere but in her direction.

"If you don't want me to come over, then tell me." Arya sounded pissed, "you all know he is my coursemate."

"Fine." One girl replied in annoyance, "It is a rumor."

"If you know it is a rumor, then you shouldn't spread it either," Arya reminded her.

"You want to hear or not?" the girl frowned.

"Ok. I'll zip it," Arya closed her mouth and gestured her to continue.

"You know Seokjin Sir is the best fencer in the force, don't you?"

Arya nodded in agreement,
"Not only he is the best fencer in the force, but also fencing is also his best forte."

The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"Go on." Arya stopped blabbering and pushed her.

"But he never agrees to teach fencing here."

"Never?" Arya frowned, "maybe he doesn't prefer it?"

"Rumor says, he can't wield a sword anymore."

Arya frowned, "What?"

"Yes." She nodded her head in assurance, "people say he can't pick a sword anymore let alone fight with it."

"Why?" Arya scoffed, that was just ridiculous.

"Not sure, just a rumor," the girl again reminded Arya, "there are many theories around it. The most popular one says that his partner was killed with a sword. He can't wield a sword ever since. PTSD."

"You are lying," Arya said absentmindedly.

"How it is lying? I am just stating rumors!" the girl protested, "why don't you ask him if you two are friends?"

Arya seemed lost in her thoughts.

"Almost every batch came here requested him for fencing course, He straight cut turned them down. And everyone worked with him said one thing unanimously- he meditates."

"Since when meditating is a crime?" One girl frowned.

"Rumors says that he can't sleep well and to calm his mind, he meditates." The girl who was speaking was confident, "he has a great control over his mind. But you know, everyone has their Achilles heel. Seokjin sir is no different. He lives in such turmoil with his PTSD, that he too has to seek refuge sometimes."

Arya wasn't giving concentration anymore.

"Your drink." The voice of the man behind the counter brought Arya back and she snapped out of her thoughts and got up.

Arya grabbed the tumbler but the man stopped her with a smile of apology, "I am sorry, it is not for you. Your one will be here shortly, please wait."

Arya frowned and eyed the drink.
It is indeed her order. She read the order label on the tumbler
"One shot of vanilla, one shot of buttercream, one shot of dense chocolate, two shots of espresso, maple syrup, and ice."

It is her order. Arya put the tumbler down on the counter, "you are mistaken, it is my order."

"I am sorry, but it is not. Please wait." the man smiled apologetically again and Arya almost growled at his face but a calm voice spoke from her behind, "It is ok, Tae-il-sshi. She can have it."

Arya spun on her ankle to see Jin's calm posture.

She looked at him and again at the tumbler. And the frown on her face was getting deeper.

"This one is yours." The man put another tumbler on the counter and Pushed it towards Arya, "same order."

"Thank you, Tae-il-sshi." Jin bowed a little and picked his tumbler and went out.

Arya was still frowning at her tumbler.

"You two have oddly familiar taste in coffee," Tae-il commented from the opposite side of the counter.

"Huh?" Arya frowned at him.

"You are the second person with this exact order for coffee. It is his regular."

"Regular?"

"From the first day, he became a mentor here." Tae-il got busy with his wipe on the countertop, "we call it The Frost booster. Kim Seokjin special."

Arya didn't wait to hear further and grabbed her tumbler before sprinting out of the cafeteria.

She had her tactics class next but she didn't care.
She ran after the disappearing figure of Jin along the road towards the shooting pitch.

She caught up to Jin not long after and grabbed his hand from behind.

Jin halted his footsteps and his gaze lingered on Arya's hand grabbing on his wrist and slowly he pulled out his hand from her grip.

Arya put one Index in the air gesturing for a minute to catch her breath.

Jin waited calmly as she put herself back together and after she was a little composed she shoved the tumbler almost in front of his face.

Jin looked at her calmly.

"Read." Arya indicated him towards the order label at her tumbler.

Jin didn't show any interest to read that, "Hurry up, agent Akaishi. I don't have time right..."

"The order is the same." Arya didn't let Jin finish his sentence, "It has been over a decade, Jin, you still remember?"

Jin didn't answer.

"I told you the recipe once, Jin. Just once." Arya eyed his tumbler, "You remember that you are drinking the same drink and yet you are treating me like a stranger, why?"

"I still didn't get your weekly evaluation report," Jin said calmly,
"Why is that?"

"Don't change the topic, Jin!" Arya grabbed Jin's one collar in frustration, her pent-up fury was almost about to be burst out, "what happened to us?"

"Us?" Jin looked at her eyes and Arya's grip loosened around his lapel slowly as she stared back.

"Go to your class. You are not supposed to be here." Jin turned around and halted for a second and again turned around to face Arya.

His hand slipped in his one pocket and when it was out, there was a white handkerchief in it.

He gently shoved that handkerchief in her hand, "your arm, it's still bleeding."

And he went inside the shooting range without a glance.

Looking at the coffee in her hand for a few moments, she turned around.
She took slow steps, but every step with a heavy heart and deep inside of it were filled with complex feelings.

This was...well, isn't this the result she always hoped for?

What she couldn't make Hoseok understand fully with all her vague answers- wasn't it that she never wanted to cross that line with Jin from there is no turning back?
And no matter what, keeping the distance that existed between her and Jin was her only way to do that.

If she wasn't someone who always provoked Jin, if there wasn't a built-in conflict between the two of them, if she never irritated him and joked around taking nothing seriously, if everything was normal- what would have been the relationship between them?

Arya thought it for some time.
A normal friendship between two people?

And now everything is going exactly how it was supposed to be.

But why still the want of not to get involved in Jin's life and making any type of bond with him was not even consoling her?
Why his indifferent and distant behavior was hurting her like that?
She was used to it.
Then what changed?

She always wanted to keep the distance, yet why she was hurting like that when she realized that the distance was indeed, there?
What is this complex feeling?

Arya took a sip of her coffee. The liquid passed through the tip of her tongue, but it tasted bitter in her throat, nothing like the usual extra-sweetened coffee she is used to.

How can it be nice though? Now that all she saw was a blurred vision.

Only then she understands, drinking coffee with tears...doesn't taste sweet at all.